Schlissel releases statement re: Shane

EDIT: Updated with non-microscopic font. (H/T to Maize and Brew for getting it up)

As the leader of our university community, I want to express my extreme disappointment in the events surrounding the handling of an on-field injury to one of our football players, Shane Morris. The health and safety of our entire student community, including all of our student-athletes, is my most important responsibility as university president.

I have been in regular discussion regarding this incident and its aftermath with Athletic Director David Brandon and the Board of Regents. I support the immediate protocol changes that the department's initial assessment has identified. I have instructed the Athletic Department to provide me, the Board of Regents, and other campus leaders with a thorough review of our in-game player safety procedures, particularly those involving head injuries, and will involve experts from the University of Michigan Health System in assessing its medical aspects.

Despite having one of the finest levels of team medical expertise in the country, our system failed on Saturday. We did not get this right and for this I apologize to Shane, his family, his teammates, and the entire Michigan family. It is a critical lesson to us about how vigilant and disciplined we must always be to ensure student-athlete safety. As president, I will take all necessary steps to make sure that occurs and to enforce the necessary accountability for our success in this regard.

Our communications going forward will be direct, transparent and timely. The University of Michigan stands for the highest level of excellence in everything we do, on and off the field. That standard will guide my review of this situation and all the University's future actions.

My thanks go to the many members of the University community who have taken the time to express their thoughts.

“As the leader of our university community, I want to express my extreme disappointment in the events surrounding the handling of an on-field injury to one of our football players, Shane Morris. The health and safety of our entire student community, including all of our student-athletes, is my most important responsibility as university president.

I have been in regular discussion regarding this incident and its aftermath with Athletic Director David Brandon and the Board of Regents. I support the immediate protocol changes that the department’s initial assessment has identified. I have instructed the Athletic Department to provide me, the Board of Regents, and other campus leaders with a thorough review of our in-game player safety procedures, particularly those involving head injuries, and will involve experts from the University of Michigan Health System in assessing its medical aspects.

Despite having one of the finest levels of team medical expertise in the country, our system failed on Saturday. We did not get this right and for this I apologize to Shane, his family, his teammates, and the entire Michigan family. It is a critical lesson to us about how vigilant and disciplined we must always be to ensure student-athlete safety. As president, I will take all necessary steps to make sure that occurs and to enforce the necessary accountability for our success in this regard.

Our communications going forward will be direct, transparent and timely. The University of Michigan stands for the highest level of excellence in everything we do, on and off the field. That standard will guide my review of this situation and all the University’s future actions.

My thanks go to the many members of the University community who have taken the time to express their thoughts.”

It does not sound like he's contemplating firing Brandon any time soon though.

I don't think it infers anything one way or the other. Nor should it. Apologizing to Shane and admitting that the Program screwed up were the first things that should have come out of Hoke's mouth (and certainly his first statement). Hopefully the University boots both Hoke and Brandon, but I don't think it would be prudent for this statement to give any indication of that.

A person who is wise in the ways of PR would be very careful not to imply either way until such a time as he's ready to actually make that decision public. Schlissels general demeanor leads me to believe he knows what to speak and when

Yup: "I have instructed the Athletic Director to provide . . . a thorough review of . . . ." Brandon isn't going anywhere soon, and he's somehow still seen as the correct person to take on this mission. :(

EDIT: my bad, it says Athletic Department, not Athletic Director -- could be a good sign, could be nothing, but definitely means I need better glasses to read this tiny message.

for Brandon or Hoke and condemnation for the procedures they had in place. Schissel is addressing the most important issue first, that the school needs to do a better job of protecting its players. I notice that he's taking the responsibility for doing something that would generally be the AD's job.

I'm not seeing anything to suggest jobs are safe or that anything is getting swept under the rug. It takes a little longer to follow the proper procedures for dismissing people. I don't expect it to take long.

Our communications going forward will be direct, transparent and timely.

FU Hoke and Brandon and your damage control fails. No more of that crap

The University of Michigan stands for the highest level of excellence in everything we do, on and off the field. That standard will guide my review of this situation and all the University’s future actions.

Missile lock on you two boneheads. Just running it by the lawyers and accountants.

Expect DB to award himself the First Annual [Stephen Ross] Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence to allay the calls for his head on a pike.

But he does mention being in "regular discussion" with Brandon and supports the new protocols that have been established. This reads to me more as a "Don't screw up again" message to Brandon than one of dismissal.

Hoke on the other hand gets no mention in the statement, while his actions are strongly criticized. It sounds like he's a goner.

regarding Brandon. Another one is that this was Brandon's responsibilty, but he's had to step in and make sure it's done properly. Not exactly a vote of confidence. Since it was a top priority the option of waiting or bypassing Brandon wasn't viable.

[edit] If Schlissel wanted to show public support for Brandon, I don't think we would need to read between the lines to find it.

The thing about our communications going forward is also an extremely serious shot across Brandon's bow in a situation like this. Like I said below, I really, really hope this is real. That is a statement from somebody who knows how to run this place. And Brandon is as good as gone if indeed Schlissel released that.

Sadly the case is Mr. Morris didn't injure himself any more than if he sat on the metal pine. If Shane got hurt badly yeah the house of pain would be brought on. Hoke is going to stay the coach. I want him gone but nothing is going to change the regents minds. No petition, rally or blog is going to cause the Regents to fire an Athletic Director at the expense of 3 million dollars. The Regents care about money, just like Dave Brandon. If somehow this blog controlled huge donnations to the University than it would have a bigger say.

Makes me sad. To see something so dear to me be run like a publicly traded company. When it doesn't need to be this way.

I hope Brian does run for a Regent spot and keeps this blog up and running.

Michigan took in over $350 million last year in donations. They have announced a campaign to raise $3.2 billion more. The regents care about that. I can only imagine what their fundraisers are hearing. Buyouts are very small potatoes relative to the bad publicity.

has had many years building his power base within the University political and administrative ranks. He is a former regent and fairly large donor among other things. He relates best to his fellow rich elite like Stephen Ross. I'd be surprised if the Regents have the guts to have him fired despite the obvious necessity to do so.

You remind me of some people being insistant that Hoke would never fire Borges, that his press conference statement clearly showed as much (he chose his words carefully that time), only to be shown to be very very wrong. The Dominoes will fall, just give it time.

Some of you guys just really need a lesson in nuance and subtlety. Every bit of that was carefully crafted to not give any word of support, while pretty strongly condemning both Hoke and Brandon without naming them directly. He isn't a reactionary high school kid, he'll handle it with all due discretion which is as it should be.